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I am both a pilot and a pianist, and therefore feel especially qualified to answer your question. Ask yourself why you want to become a pianist and why you want to be a pilot. Think about it carefully, take your time. Then write it down on paper. The written word is very powerful, Troy.

Both of these aspirations will take tremendous dedication but for different reasons.

You can become a pilot and a concert pianist both. It is not impossible, I can guarantee you that. I know people other than just myself who have done it. The question is are you willing to do what it takes to achieve this?

Flying itself is easy, I don't care what anyone says. But it takes a lot of work, a lot of studying and a lot of dedication. You can be a doctor with a practice in the same time it will take you to get hired into a major airline. Add at least another decade to that to become a Captain (again, I'm talking about the majors).

Being an airline pilot it certainly isn't what it used to be. If it's glamor you're after, then fly in another country, because as far as the passengers go, you're just another bus driver here in the States. The attitude towards pilots and the fringe benefits are going down the garbage shoot. Meanwhile, the FAA (Folks Against Aviation) and the TSA (Thousands Standing Around), make regulations that continually diminish the pilot's quality of life while increasing his responsibilities and liabilities.

And you have to get accepted with a Major Airline to enjoy all this first!

Depressing?

Do you want me to get started on what it is like to try and make a living as a musician? A concert pianist? The insane competition out there?

Am I trying to discourage you? NO! After you have read this post, look at what you wrote on your piece of paper and ask yourself if it is worth it. If your answer is "I don't care what the obstacles are, I want to be a pilot and a pianist both", then read on.

First of all, you are right, you need a degree and they don't theoretically care what the degree is in. They want to see that you can commit yourself to something, giving your time and money and attention for four years. Many airlines will also consider your greats for every single course you take. An aviation related degree is better, and it doesn't have to be from Embry-Riddle. Since you are talking about a college, and the piano, I'm assuming you are thinking of going the civilian route. You still could be considering ROTC with the Air Force, but not if you are in any way serious about the piano.

I have a schedule which allows me to be home three to four days a week. That's a major advantage to being a pilot. I don't do the 9-5 thing. (I did for a few years before I became a pilot to pay for my piano studies, but I hated it.) During my says off, I practice the piano up to six hours a day. Had I joined the Air Force, I would have had to stop the piano cold and for a few years at least. You cannot afford to stop playing for more than a few days at a time or your technique will suffer to say the least.

So the civilian route is your only option. ASU is an excellent university and I happen to know the folks at the music department. I've attended all the ASU International Piano competitions since they first started in 2006. I strongly recommend you get in touch with the ASU music school now. If you are talented, a professor there will take you on as a student right now. I have flown with a pilot whose child was very gifted and was taken under the wing on one of the ASU piano professors. She was exactly your age, too.

There isn't much you can do right now on the flying side (unless you take up gliding), but now is the time to really work on your repertoire and make major strides at the piano.

You can be a music major and still get a job as a pilot. Better still, you could be a double major and get both a degree in piano performance and in aviation management or something aviation related. (I say this because you might be able to get a student loan for that every expensive flight training). Also, Mesa Airlines has some program for taking in ab initio pilots. Southwest Airlines requires 1500 hours of turbine PIC. That means turbo-props too, so if you get into the Mesa Airlines program, you could eventually find your way into Southwest.

Airlines will be hiring and then they'll slow down and stop and even start furloughing. You'll see a lot of that as you start along your long path to getting your degree and the minimum tickets (Commercial and ATP) and hours (1500) required before you'll even be considered by an commuter.

Remember, even if they say they are laying off pilots, one day that will change and they'll hire again. Don't let anything stop you. There's no technical challenge at the piano you cannot over come. And you can eventually become a pilot for a major airline no matter what the economy is doing, because unless they develop teleportation, or completely automated airplanes, or the world runs out of kerosene to fuel airplanes, there will still be a demand for pilots.

It just takes time and perseverance.

I wish you the best from the bottom of my heart. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a personal message anytime.

Shenandoah University and Conservatory of MusicWinchester, Virginia.Out of that whole list, I am surprised nobody mentioned Shenandoah. It is an outstanding Conservatory with an outstanding reputation and Faculty.I received my BMC and MM degrees from there.Roger R Sethmann

Originally posted by Troy M.: What about The Music branch as ASU http://music.asu.edu/ Is that a decent school? Some one told me that its not that great of a school....Thanks for your replies! [/b]

Troy, kudos to you for thinking ahead and planning!

But, I must tell you - whoever told you that ASU Herberger College's School of Music is not a great school is a complete dolt and an idiot, I dare say! And, that's putting it mildly! I really take offense at such uninformed, arbitrary statement of that "someone."

The school is fantastic, and so is the piano faculty! For Christ's sake, people come from all over the world to study with several of the piano teachers there! You should make a point of meeting professors there, research their bios on the website, listen to their recordings and you will know how GOOD it is. I would point to three people: Dr. Baruch Meir (my prof and he is exceptionally GOOD), Robert Hamilton and Caio Pagano. That's for starters, many other good ones there.

Now, I can say this with FULL authority as I studied in some of the best music schools in the world and with legends of piano pedagogy. Still, I am doing my doctorate at ASU, I chose to do so, although I could've gone literally anywhere in the world again!

If money is not a problem, you can go to Oberlin, Manhattan School of Music, North Western (not Juilliard for undergrad, but yes for grad studies!), or any other super expensive private schools. However, you have a treasure of a School of Music right in your own back yard!

Plus, being an in state student and considering how many students get full rides and partial scholarships based on their auditions ... why would you even think of going anywhere else???

Ultimately, what you get out of your music education, reg. of what your emphasis is, rather it's piano performance, music tech. etc. is what you put into it. Yes, it's great to be able to get into Jailyard but ultimately, it's what you do _after_ you get out. I studied with a former concert pianist who went to St. Louis Conservatory back in the 1950s. I've also coached with a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and am currently studying the Taubman method with a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory. Each school has it's merits. I got my degrees in music from public universities and had a piano scholarship from one of them. Looking back, each school was the right enviroment for me at that time, and at that stage of my life. At both places, I had great teachers who are not very well known. Dr. Timothy Woolsey at Texas State University and Joan Allison at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

You need to look at where you are now, where you hope to be in 4 or 6 years, what your financial situation is, and what your needs are. Good luck!

Thanks for you reply Jelena. Was wandering if it would be possible to go to ASU after completing a 4 year degree at another college in something completely unrelated to music, then go to another college and study music?

I have found a great school (University of North Dakota"UND") that has a great Commercial Aviation program. I am thinking of going there. Afterwards I would like to spend a year or 2 studying music. Whether it be there at UND, or ASU, or UofH or any college for that matter, would it be posisble for me to enroll as a music student for just 2 years with one of these colleges? I would already have my 4 year degree, but I dont want to pursue my Masters, I think that would be to hard seeing how I have not previously studied music, only as a minor.

I hope I made some sense. I am not pursuing a career in music, but I don't want to just forget about music either. I have 2 years to figure it out though...

Being an airline pilot it certainly isn't what it used to be. If it's glamor you're after, then fly in another country, because as far as the passengers go, you're just another bus driver here in the States. The attitude towards pilots and the fringe benefits are going down the garbage shoot. Meanwhile, the FAA (Folks Against Aviation) and the TSA (Thousands Standing Around), make regulations that continually diminish the pilot's quality of life while increasing his responsibilities and liabilities.[/b]

For what it's worth, I have never thought of pilots in this way, as bus drivers. I always love to gaze in the **** pit and thank the pilots for not making me sick and for the nice flight... It's a tough job from what I can see!

It is not nice to say pilot is a bus driver, but in reality, it is what most people think of pilots. The reason is that these days flying is so common, there is no more excitement of flying for most people, it is just like riding a bus.

Hi everyone, I am new here but I have been reading the posts for a while and this is a really cool site. Do any of you have any opinions on University of Texas at Tyler, University of Texas at Arlingtion, or Dallas Baptist Univerisity? I am a sophmore at Richland Community College and I am already teaching piano. I would like to get a degree in piano pedagogy. I am considering these schools because they are close enough to Dallas that I could continue to teach during the weekends. I did not list SMU because one of my music professors said that the music program is not as good as it used to be. Is that true? Thank you for any thoughts you might have!

I don't know anything about the schools you mentioned, although of the three, Arlington probably has the better music dept.

Have you looked into Univ. of North Texas or Texas Christian? Both of those have excellent piano faculties and music departments in general. I understand that there is free commuter bus service between downtown Dallas and UNT daily (free for UNT students!)

Originally posted by Thefiredigger: Does anyone know anything about The Wheaton College Conservatory ( http://www.wheaton.edu/Conservatory/ ) or Houghton College's Greatbach School of music. ( http://campus.houghton.edu/orgs/music/ ) I have heard good things said about Wheaton but the people who I have heard this from are like me, they too have heard good things about Wheaton. [/b]

I lived in Wheaton in the 1970's and learned that the College is a very conservative Protestant environment. I know nothing of its conservatory, but make sure you would feel comfortable on such a campus before considering it.

I`m a new member of Piano World and just started to post videos one youtube. I also have a myspace Internet page (also new)!!

This is my first youtube video with a portuguese windband (Sociedade Musical Gouveense) and the maestro Helder Abreu. The concerto is the Richard Addinsell "Warsaw Concerto" (the hard version in this case) that i had the pleasure to record recently. The video doesn't start in the beginning of the concerto. The CD is on sale too (of course is a much better version than this live performance... but i guess that is normal).

So here are the links and be free to comment. I hope i can comment all your videos and recordings soon...

Hey..sorry i haven't been on here for a while but thanks opus119 for answering my question! Since my last post i have become pretty interested in the manhattan school of music..how good to you have to be to get in? (sort of a dumb question, i know..but better questions aren't forming in my head. it's one of those days.)

Hi, I'm from India. I am presently in my final year of a 5 year integrated Master of Science program in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India. I've been playing the piano for about 8 years now. I went to vienna to study under a Slovenian pianist and composer, Prof Blazenka Arnic from May-July 2008. It was there that I decided that I had to pursue music seriously once I graduate from IIT. So I've decided to take off one year after I graduate (in May 2009) to prepare for auditions. I am interested in piano performance (I'm just beginning to understand and appreciate jazz.. I'd like to go to a school which emphasizes and overall development than just classical though all my training has been in classical music) and also am interested in singing (popular music, I had my own rock band for a few years and I write my own songs). So I've decided to audition fr Berklee in 2010. The drummer in my band got through and his dad is rich enough to pay for his education there. In my case, I don't have a penny to pay for it.

So I need advice from you guys about these:

1) A list of good universities/conservatories which offer good chances to international students for a substantial financial aid packet.

2) I have just started on my first sonata (completed movement I of the tempest by Beethoven, will start the third movement shortly, working on Chopin Etude Op 25, No 2, and the prelude and fugue by Bach in C minor. I am also working on fine tuning my Fantasy Impromptu.) Keeping all this in mind, and considering that I have had no good teacher so far in India and my playing level is not all that good, advice me on my chances of getting into a good piano school. I intend to take off one year and devote 6-7 hrs everyday to my piano practice.

Oh and btw, since I would have done a masters degree by then, I would not exactly like to go for a BM which would require me to do a lot of courses other than performance related courses.. So please also suggest schools that have diploma courses for people like me. I'm 22 now and I know I'm kinda late but its never too late to start, is it?

Hey, I'm wanting to attend UCLA for Piano Performance and composition, has anyone on this board attended UCLA? What you suggest I do to prepare for auditions in 2010 to increase my chances of acceptance?

Is anyone here familiar with the Schools of Music at the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia? I'd like to know how good is the faculty at those schools and if they are good about providing students with financial aid.

I am finishing my master's at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and would like to get started on a DMA next year. As much as I like my current school, I'm wondering if it might be best to go somewhere else for a doctorate.

I would also consider moving to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, or Michigan. What other great schools are in these states besides Cleveland Institute of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory, University of Michigan, and Michigan State?

My post is not to recommend a particular school, but just to offer a comment on what I observed recently that I think--and hope--is an interesting and helpful trend for people doing research on picking music schools. Some schools have capitalized on high technology by uploading interesting video clips about faculty members where teachers talk about themselves, their teachings and their students.

I still remember how difficult it was when I was in high school, trying to narrow down potential schools and teachers. This was the 80s, before Internet and Piano World . My teacher at the time was a good player, but surprisingly provincial and limited in her knowledge about the "scene." I will spare you the heartaches that I went through, except to emphasize that information did not come easily. Reading biographies of teachers in print school catalogues left me overwhelmed and without any clearer understanding. It could be argued that these new video clips are also marketing tools and just as calculated as printed words. Nevertheless, the chance to see these teachers in motion, hear their voice, would surely enliven the search process.

Hi! Junior in HS wondering if there are any Western Washington University graduates here? I'm actually looking to become a composition major, and WWU itnerested me greatly... would like to stay in Washington if possible.

Hi, I'm a pianist currently in Peace Corps Ukraine. I'm currently exploring options after Peace Corps.I was wondering what the best option for Applied Piano or Piano Performance is in the pacific northwest. I'm looking into either public or private universities. I grew up in the Portland/Vancouver area, and when I return to the states I would like to go to school somewhere close.

I had friends who did undergrad at a very unknown college.. they practiced 8hrs+ a day, they worked really hard.. everyone single one of them went to grad school.. getting a big scholarship or sometimes full scholarship from USC, Eastman ..etc.

I know a friend of mine who went to the same school for jazz piano..the program wasn't that great but he practiced hard.. and he was finalist at the prestigious Theoloneous Monk competition couple of years ago.

I really think a lot of is really up to the individual dedication.. and studying with the right teacher.. there are a lot of excellent teachers that are not famous.

I don't know if I am qualified to give suggestion, but I personally think that ppl shouldn't get too hung up on whether they get accepted at school x or not.. everyone has different path in music.. and in the end the people who are dedicated in what they do usually go somewhere in life.

Well, I have to add a shoutout to my very first piano teacher here and the University of Houston! Professor Weems taught me when I was just starting out at 6 years old. It turns out this was during the few years in her life when she wasn't teaching college-aged pianists! She still is my favorite teacher after all this time!